Edward j



(No Model.)

E. J. BROOKS.

y METALLIC SEAL. No. 278,866. Patented June 5,1883.

I, Z, 3, l a a 2 & 5 5 a a &

WITNESSES, INVENTOR v f A By his .dft0rncy Too/6" N, PETERS. PhowLilhognphen Washington. D4

NITED STATES ATENT FFIcE.

EDWARD J. BROOKS, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW Jnnsnv, ASSIGNOR TO B. J.

BROOKS & 00., OF nnw Yomgn. Y.

M ETALLIC SEAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 278,866, dated June 5, 1883.

To aZZ whom it may concern: Y Be it known that I, EDWARD J. BROOKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Metallic Seals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is additional to a series of inventions relating to lead and wire seals, de scribed and claimed in my previous specifications forming part of United States Patents No. 154,639, dated September 1, 1874; No. 161,475, dated March 30, 1875; No. 179,260, dated June 27, 187 6; No. 192,735, dated July 3, 1877, and No. 253,674, dated February 14, 1882. In the specification of the patent last named, and those of certain other United States Patents-viz., No. 246,068, dated August 23, 1881, and No. 260,279, dated June 27, 1882, and an application for patent filed J anuary 2, 1883-I set forth the generaland special advantages which result from uniting the two parts of seals (of various patterns) in the process of manufacture. Seals so made I term castin seals. In said specification of Patent No. 253,674 I described my last previous improvement in lead and wire seals, based in part on my discovery that my detectorwire described and claimed in said patent No. 179,260 could be successfully and advantageously used in connectionwith a seal-disk castfast upon a straight end thereof to forma cast-in seal secure against stripping as regards this end. I have since discovered that by combining with this detector-wire the anchoring projections described and claimed in said Patent No. 192,735, in a'peculiar manner, the distinguishing detector function of said detector-wire can be utilized to great advantage, while in connection therewith said anchoring projections render amply secure shackle ends fastened by pressing only, without recessing the seal-disk and bending up the shackle ends, as shown and described in said Patent No. 253,67 4, thus affording greater security with less expensive 'molds, and a material saving of time in the pressing operation. In embodying said feature in a cast-in seal I have constructed the sealdisk in a new form, and

Application filed January 2-2, 1883. (N0 model.)

have attached a distinguishing-tag in a novel able mark formed in the wire in the process of manufacture; second, to produce a simple and secure cast-in seal free from excessive weight, and adapted to be readily pressed and to be secured and guarded in the manner aforesaid; third, to furnish cast-in seals with attached tags conspicuously marking each seal, showing, for example, on what road and with what imprint the seal should be pressed with out complicating the work of carrying, applying, and pressing the seals,

A sheet of drawings accompanies this specification as part thereof. Figure 1 of these drawings is a back view, and. Fig. 2 an edge view, of my improved seal embodying the several parts of my invention as it comes from the factory and is carried by sealers. Fig. .3 is a face view of the same seal in use, pressed.

Figs. 4 and 5 are back views of other cast-in seals, illustrating modifications; and Figs. 6-

and 7 are elevations of two additional shackles constructed according to the first part of this invention, with sectional views of loose sealdisks used in connection therewith, illustrat:

ing additional modifications.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

My improved seal, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, is composed of a wire shackle, WV, preferably of annealed iron, a soft-metal seal-disk, L, preferably oflead, and a tag, T, preferably of tin, united in the process of manufacture, and is sold and carried straight, or in the form illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2. One end of the shackle-wire IV is simply provided with permanent indentations a in manufacturing the shackle-wire, and upon this shackle end the seal-disk L is cast fast, and is thereby securely united with this end of the shackle-wire, so as to render this end amply secure. The other end of the shackle-wire W, which must be secured within the seal-disk L in the act of pressing the latter, is provided with anchoring enlargements b I). These are formed by looping the wire and hammering or pressing the loops into the shape shown by one or two blows, or equivalent pressure. Such enlargements embed themselves into the soft metal of the sealdisk at the pressing operation and interlock with anything in the seal-disk with which they may be crossed, so as to form a positive and strong fastening for the shackle end provided therewith; but it would be difficult, if not impossible, to locate two such enlargements within a seal-disk of the desirable small size and simple construction, and if only one is inclosed in the pressed seal, as shown in Fig. 3, it is possible, by cutting the shackle-wire, to read ily pull out the piece of wire bearing the inclosed enlargement, and by means of pliers to form new enlargements on the shackle end, and relocate one of them within the sea1-disk without detection so far as this provision goes,

- different lengths of shacklewire being used by the same road. To effectively guard against this, and at the same time utilize said otherwise unsurpassed anchoring enlargements, I provide the shackle end last named with indentations (6 similar to said indentations'a. These are readily formed in the process of inanufacture, in continuation of the operation by which said indentations a are formed and by the same means, while they cannot be coun-' 'terfeited by hand-pliers or anything of this sort. able detector-mark in the shacklewire, to in dicate to the inspector any tampering with the seal, which results in shortening the shacklewire. To accommodate such anchoring enlargements b within the seal-disk, and at the same time employ a light seal-disk, the large threading-hole 0 required is formed partly within a semi-tubular projection, d, on the back of the seal-disk L,which is readily thus cast, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. By arranging said proj ection and threading-hole obliquely, as shown, the shackle ends are crossed within the seal, forming what I term a center look. This greatly augments the security of the seal, and is preferred, but is not considered an essential part of my present invention. To attach said tag T in the process of manufacture, as illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2, and so that the same will not interfere with carrying and applying the seals, and will hang properly to expose its face after the seal is pressed, as shown in Fig. 3, it is provided with an aperture near its edge, and, being slipped over the free end of the shackle-wire V, is secured at the proper point, above the attached seal-disk L, by a loop, 6, formed by rebending the soft wire, as shown. The little tags are punched from sheets printed with appropriate marks, such as are represented and afford a convenient representation They thus form a permanent and reliof the road to which the seal belongs, and of the impression which should appear thereon, so as to facilitate pressing and inspecting the seals. Tags for other purposes may be attached in the same way, and their form, size, and material may be made to suit purchasers. The shackle-wire \V is passed through a pair of staples, s 8 or the like, and pressed, as illustrated by Fig. 3, in customary manner.

As illustrated by Fig. 4, anchoring enlargements b If, substantially identical as to form and function with those shown at b in Figsl to 3, may be formed in ashackle-wire, TV, in the midst of coacting detector indentations (1?, but

less readily than in a specially-provided length of plain wire 5 or, as illustrated by Fig. 5, said detector indentations a may be omitted without losing any of the advantages which belong to the second part of this invention as regards the coaction of a shackle-wire, XV, having its respective ends provided with indentations a and enlargements b, with a sealdisk, L, having a thin face portion, within which said indented end is securely cast in, with a threading-hole, c, of ample size, accommodated by a semi-tubular enlargement, d, on its back; or, as illustrated by Figs. 6 and7, lead and wire seals, composed of shackle-wiresW or \V and loose seal-disks L having simple threading-holes 0 (parallel or crossed,) may embody the first part of this invention by the provision of both ends of each. shackle-wire with detector indentations a and anchoring enlargements b or 1) without losing any of the advantages of this principal part of my invention.

I claim as my invention- 1. A shackle-wire constructed with anchoring enlargements integral therewith, and having detector indentations formed in the same end or ends of the wire, whereby, if an end bearing one or more of said anchoring enlargements be cut off, the shortening of the wire will be indicated, substantially as herein specified.

2. A shackle wire having one end constructed with anchoring enlargements integral therewith, and its other end indented, in com bination with a seal-disk of soft metal, cast on said indented end, and having a 'threadinghole crossing the cast-in shackle end, formed partly by a semi-tubular projection on the back of the disk to receive the shackle end bearing said anchoring enlargements, substantially as herein specified.

3. The distinguishing-tag T, and shackle-wire having a loop, 6, for permanently attaching the same asa part of the seal, and a soft-metal seal-disk cast on that end of said shackle-wire which is providedwith said loop, substantially as herein specified, for the purposes set forth.

EDlVARD JEYVETT BROOKS. \Vitnesses:

L. FABLEY HOVEY,

J. S. JENNINGS. 

